The present invention relates to air conditioning apparatus intended to ventilate and air condition several rooms. The apparatus has, for this purpose, a number of air conditioning modules housed inside a mechanical room, with each module having:
a connector to join the module with an air exhaust duct connected to a room; PA1 a connector to join the module with an air supply duct connected to the room; PA1 an internal air flow path between the air exhaust and air supply connectors; PA1 means for ventilating and air conditioning the air that passes through the internal air flow path including means for exchanging heat between the air and a cooling medium; PA1 means for connecting the apparatus to a source of power; and PA1 means for controlling the operation of the apparatus. PA1 an air exhaust connector; PA1 an air supply connector; PA1 an internal air flow path between and connecting the air exhaust and air supply connectors; PA1 ventilation devices and air conditioning means through which the internal air flow path passes notably including means for exchanging heat between the air and a cooling medium; PA1 means for connecting the apparatus to a source of power; and PA1 means for controlling the operation of the apparatus. PA1 the refrigerant in the evaporator; PA1 the refrigerated medium (freezable water) in the storage reservoir; and PA1 the air flowing through the internal flow path.
Such an installation is described in European Patent No. EP-B 302,768 (the '768 patent), which also describes air conditioning modules that are particularly well adapted to construction of an installation including such modules in that they are respectively defined on the exterior by two plane lateral sides that are parallel to each other, by means of which the modules can be positioned next to each other, and by peripheral sides that connect the lateral sides to each other and group together air supply and exhaust connections, connections to a power supply, possibly the controller means and means to gain access to the air conditioning and, optionally, to the controller means or more generally to all of components that may have to be worked upon during normal maintenance. The installation can also require minimum space because of the positioning of the modules next to each other, without causing any impediment to normal maintenance. The peripheral sides of the modules also preferably comprise support means that allow the removal or replacement of one module within a row of modules without having to move the other modules of the row, permitting easy and rapid replacement of a malfunctioning module without dismantling the other modules or interrupting their operation.
To cool the air from a room, possibly with some outdoor air introduced, before returning it to the room, there are means, included in each module, through which the air flow path passes internal to the module, for effecting a transfer of heat between the air and a cooling medium, such means being a heat exchanger for heat transfer between the air and cold water supplied by a common source to the different modules. In practice, this cooling heat exchanger in each module is connected, through partially flexible pipes and electrically operated valves controlled by respective controllers, to a cold water inlet header and a cold water outlet header, both shared by the different modules and leading to a common installation for the production of cold water.
The presence of these tubes, electrically operated valves and cold water inlet and return headers complicates installation and constitutes a source of malfunction that, when they affect the cold water source or the cold water inlet and return headers, for example, in the form of leaks, adversely affect the operation of the entire group of modules. In addition, the distance traveled by this cold water between the cold water source and the cooling heat exchanger of each module can be relatively large giving rise to the loss of cooling capacity even when the cold water inlet and return headers, as well as the pipes that connect them to the cooling heat exchanger, are properly insulated.